Serb injured as buffer-zone violence spreads

By Alex Todorovic

12:00AM GMT 03 Jan 2001

A SERBIAN police officer was injured during a mortar attack by ethnic Albanian guerrillas in the tense buffer zone separating Kosovo from Yugoslavia.

Yesterday's shelling came after Muhamed Dzemailja, a local commander of the Albanian guerilla army, was arrested at a checkpoint manned by troops of the Nato-led Kfor. It is unclear whether the Albanian shelling was in response to the commander's arrest earlier in the day, but a series of recent events points towards growing tensions, with Nato troops become increasingly drawn into the conflict.

Nato peacekeepers negotiated the release of six Serbs kidnappedby Albanians on New Year's Eve on the road from Presevo to Gnjilane.The events sparked fears that Serbia's Presevo valley may be descending into a spiral of violence which threatens to suck in Nato peacekeepers.

The international community has refused to recognise the Albanian guerilla army and has shown strong support for the new Yugoslav government led by President Vojislav Kostunica.